Combined "Fest" has it all
By Stephanie Laird
May 15, 2008
The fourth annual Nelsonville Art and Music Festival, a three-day celebration of local artistry and music, will feature more than 20 bands including national, regional and local performers this weekend.
Stuart’s Opera House, the event’s producer and sole organizer, in partnership with the Hockhocking Music Group and Hocking College, is putting on this year’s revitalized and extended festival.
The Nelsonville Art and Music festival began in 2005 as a one-day event held in downtown Nelsonville’s Historic Arts District. In its second and third years, the festival took place in the field behind Rocky Boots. Now in its fourth year, the Nelsonville Art and Music Festival has evolved into a three-day musical and cultural extravaganza, and found a new home at the Historic Village of Robbins Crossing at Hocking College.
In addition to moving to a more accommodating location, the NAMF is absorbing the Hockhocking Festival, an annual folk festival typically held this weekend at Robbins Crossing. According to Stuart’s Opera House Director Tim Peacock, the event will be similar to the one-day NAMF, but will hopefully have a new, fresh feel.
“We have included many more local bands and many more rock ‘n roll bands,” said Peacock. “The Hockhocking Festival was originally a folk festival, catering to acoustic music-lovers, while the Nelsonville Art and Music Fest was a bit more eclectic. I think the new festival will not alienate the Hockhocking audience since there are still plenty of acoustic-based acts but instead will appeal to a larger audience by offering various types of music.”
The headliners for this year’s festival will be Akron/Family on Friday night and the Avett Brothers on Saturday night.
The Akron/Family set will be played by the band’s core trio this weekend including Seth Olinsky on vocals, guitars and percussion, Miles Seaton on vocals, bass, guitar and percussion, and Dana Janssen on drums and vocals. In 2003 this Pennsylvania-based band began jamming together, and recently began playing shows with all of North Carolina’s Megafaun and Greg Davis, on guitars, electronics and vocals.
Currently, Akron/Family is in the beginning stages of writing an album to be released next spring, said Janssen, who has been playing with Olinsky since high school.
“I feel that one of my biggest motivations is the smiles I see when people interact with our songs,” said Janssen, who is looking forward to the band’s first show in this part of Ohio. “It truly is a gift that makes me happy.”
The Avett Brothers, a North Carolina-based folk-rock ‘n’ roll group comprised of brothers Scott Avett on vocals, banjo and kick-drum and Seth Avett on vocals and guitar, and non-brothers Bob Crawford raging the up-right bass and vocals and newly added Joe Kwon on cello. Since launching this musical project in 2001, the Avett Brothers have added around 10 recordings to their catalog. The most recent addition, “Emotionalism,” was released last May.
At the end of July, the Avett Brothers will release an EP called “The Gleam Two.” They will also release a new full-length studio album early next year, said Crawford.
Spawned from a rural musical tradition, the Avett Brothers deliver exhilarating brotherly harmonies invigorated with a rock ‘n roll attitude. According to Crawford, the band has maintained its rock edge since forming, by playing very rock-oriented melodies on traditional instruments.
“I hope everybody feels like there’s no other way they wanted to spend their time,” said Crawford about this weekend’s show, “since we all have so little time to do something that isn’t required of us.”
The Avett Brothers began rocking out in Athens in 2002, though this is their first time performing at the Nelsonville Art and Music Festival, said Crawford. At a pivotal point in his musical career, Crawford was accepted to the graduate program at Ohio University for studying music. However, he said, certain events transpired that encouraged him to pursue his rock ‘n roll career with The Avett Brothers.
“If I have never met Seth and Scott and played music with them and realized the joy of that, I would have gone to Athens to study music,” said Crawford. “I would be just as happy a person as I am right now.”
Other national acts joining the Avett Brothers and Akron/Family on stage this year are Michael Hurley, New York City’s O’ Death, epic blues musician Bettye LaVette, singer-songwriter Justin Townes Earle, the Red Stick Ramblers and Uncle Monk – Tommy Ramone’s bluegrass project.
In addition to featuring national acts, regional and local artists will be playing on multiple stages throughout the weekend including; Woody Pines and the Lonesome Two, Southeast Engine, Silo Circuit, Casual Future, the Billycats, Weedghost, Born Old, Justin Gordon, Dawn Landes, Moviola, Nostra Nova, the Wallin’ Elroys, Sarah White and Zeb Dewar. (See the What’s Happening calendar in today’s issue for the actual daily band schedule, which is subject to change.)
This year the NAMF will also have a bigger art theme. “We will be creating a community mural at the old barn at Robbins Crossing headed up by local artist Chris Monday,” said Peacock. “This mural will be painted over the course of the weekend, and then we hope to find a home for it to display year round. We plan on making this an annual tradition.”
Over 20 regional artists will be vending their unique handmade wares this weekend and seven food and beverage vendors will be on site. In addition, this year’s Beer Garden will feature brews from Marietta Brewing Company along with the classics, said Peacock.
A kid’s area will provide a safe environment for the little ones to express their creativity, and camping will be offered this year. According to Peacock, over 500 tickets have already been sold, and tickets are still available at Blue Eagle Music and can be purchased online via Stuart’s Opera House or by calling 740-753-1924. Tickets will also be available at the gate and can be purchased for individual days. For additional information on the Nelsonville Art and Music Festival visit www.nelsonvillefest.org.
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